4/8/12-4/9/12 Easter and Rome

4/8/12
Happy Easter!!  Today did not feel like Easter because I was not with my family.  I miss them so much and wish I was there to do my usual Easter thing!  Thankfully I have wonderful friends here who made it feel homey as we celebrated Easter today.  We went and got Roggie’s Pizza for lunch.  We had a picnic in the Bishop’s house (it used to be his house now Santa Chiara uses it as extra rooms for students).  It was so much fun being with them and becoming a family!  Then we watched Remember the Titans!  Such a great movie!  Alex’s dad lives in Poland and he brought her Polish candy!  Of course she shared with us and it was yummy!  To top off the Easter events, we went to go do laundry!  At least for dinner, the Santa Chiara staff made us a wonderful Easter dinner that consisted of mashed potatoes, ham, salad, and cake!  They decorated the room with Easter eggs and flowers!  It was wonderful!  All the students dressed for the occasion.  We stayed after dinner and played a game with the Kansas kids and other A&M students!  We are really becoming close to the other students from all over the United States that are staying here also.
4/9/12
Today I went back to Rome with my friend Ashleigh.  We went to the Trevi Fountain (and this time I actually made a wish when I threw the coin in).  We went to this market place, and ate some awesome pizza and gelato!  It was a rushed day because it takes forever to get there and back (about a 5 hour journey together).  Oh and of course you cannot forget the shopping that we did!  It was really crowded in Rome because there were still people left over from Easter the day before.  I cannot believe that I navigated Rome with a map pretty well!  I am very proud of myself!  Today was a fun day!
Today I also found out that Palo died today.  He is the one who had the vision of Santa Chiara.  He wanted a place where students could come and study in Italy and learn about the culture.  He taught all the classes at first, changed the beds, and so much more.  He had a vision and made it happen.  I have not met him because he was hospitalized in Rome since the beginning of February.  He died of a rare form of cancer.  Apparently he was a really great guy who made everybody’s day better.  It is a devastating loss for Santa Chiara.  Please pray that this program keeps going.
Ciao